Previous Additions to the Forum
April - June 2002

June

The Math Forum's goals are to help students learn mathematics, and to help schools improve math education. In addition to our public web site, each year we offer special programs for selected schools. We invite you to read more about these customized services.

ScientificAmerican.com has selected the Math Forum Web site as a winner of the 2002 Sci/Tech Web Awards. Their editors reviewed hundreds of Web sites and selected the Math Forum as one of five to list in the mathematics category.

A unit by Varnelle Moore, designed to guide young children through an introduction to symmetry using a puzzle set of seven geometric shapes called tangrams. As children manipulate the tangrams, they will visually learn about slides (translation), turns (rotation), and flips (reflection). Lessons include interactive, manipulative-based projects, technology, paper/pencil practice, and literature connections.

May Workshops

Passaic High School Passaic, NJ, May 20, 2002: Shelly Berman offered a full day inservice for the high school math teachers that included an agenda giving an overview tour and facilitated the search for resources. The workshop was held at the Passaic High School, in Passaic, NJ.

New Jersey State Systemic Initiative Edison, NJ, May 8, 2002: As part of their Technology Professional Development Series, Shelly Berman followed an agenda that offered an overview tour and facilitated the search for resources for the New Jersey teachers from grades 2 through 12. The workshop was held at held at the Middlesex County College in Edison, NJ.

April

Alexander Bogomolny has contributed a middle school lesson to the Teacher Exchange which presents an interesting alternative to the customary game plan for the determination of pi. Bogomolny's lesson presents pi in the framework of similarity, which makes the existence of pi self-evident. Approximation of pi does not require several objects. Pi can be approximated by taking measurements of a single circular object with different tools and different techniques.